It would have been so easy to let the season fall to pieces. After a 2-7 start, with six of those losses by double digits, Schuylkill Valley's hopes of a successful campaign appeared to be waning.

For Panthers coach Nathan Cammauf, pulling the team together was a daunting task.

But with help from the county's most prolific scorer, the first-year coach has Schuylkill Valley on a four-game winning streak and back on track for another playoff berth.

Kirsti Bair, the Panthers' polished center who averages 17.2 points per game, is helping drive the recent turnaround that has changed a struggling team into the co-leader in Berks III.

Between her array of post moves and consistent defensive presence, the senior has allowed her relatively inexperienced teammates to join the fold slowly, and given Cammauf a reliable performer to focus the team around.

"For a first-year coach, you're really lucky to have a girl like that on your team," said Cammauf.

Bair's coach said she has been "the rock" defensively for the Panthers (4-1, 6-7), but it's her offensive efficiency that makes the former All-Berks selection one of the top players in the county. Bair is averaging 25.2 points in five January games, including a pair of 31-point efforts that mark the single-season highs in Berks this year.

The first 31-point game was in a loss to Berks III rival Oley Valley, a game in which Schuylkill Valley trailed by four at the half before drifting away late. Bair topped 30 again Friday in a comfortable win over Wyomissing.

The Panthers lost several seniors last season and entered this year with only Bair and Breah Strickler having much varsity experience. After slowly getting into gear against a grueling early schedule that included Muhlenberg and Daniel Boone, Bair was essential in helping Cammauf organize the team.

"It took a couple weeks for everybody to jell, and being a new coach with a new system, for everybody to get to the point where we felt comfortable," Cammauf said.

Though it would be easy to funnel the ball to Bair on every possession, Schuylkill Valley is beginning to evolve into a balanced group. Still, the dominant center is scoring over 45 percent of the Panthers' points.

"She's very fluid and natural," Cammauf said of his star. "When she gets the ball she really knows what she wants to do with it. Even if she misses the first time, she's going to be right there to get her own rebound. She doesn't take a break.

"She's very in tune with the game. She sees the floor very well."

Bair's presence will be a critical factor if the Panthers hope to continue their recent success. This week Schuylkill Valley will be on the road for crossover games against Kutztown and Central Catholic, the top two teams in Berks IV.

Cammauf has been stressing the team approach to his players, while also recognizing that Bair provides the best chance for points at the offensive end.

"We know when we need to get the ball to Kirsti we can, but we have to understand that every team in the county knows that as well," said Cammauf. "We need to make sure that the other four players on the court are an option.

If Schuylkill Valley can get increased production from players like Strickler and Brinlee Pletz to couple with Bair's developing game, the Panthers could be a force come playoffs.

Parity in the playoff picture

Four weeks remain in the regular season and the playoff situation around the Berks League is beginning to take shape.

But while it's becoming clear which teams will likely be playing a month from now, it's anyone's guess which team will become county champions.

Only two teams remain unbeaten in league play. Berks IV leader Central Catholic is 5-0, and Berks II leader Daniel Boone sits at 4-0 entering the final month of the schedule.

For most of the top teams in the league, the season has been filled with inconsistency.

Preseason favorite Reading High has endured a bumpy couple of weeks, including losses to Muhlenberg, Altoona and Wilson. The Bulldogs needed to rebound from a blowout loss to Gov. Mifflin to beat the Red Knights last week.

Oley Valley seemed to be on the way to another undefeated season in league play before a loss at Central last week interrupted those plans, while the Cardinals just had an 11-game winning streak snapped by powerhouse York Catholic.

"There is no great team that's head and shoulders (above the rest)," said Gov. Mifflin coach Rick Bausher, now in his 28th season.

Reading, Mifflin and Wilson are all battling for the two playoff spots in Division I, while Daniel Boone and Muhlenberg might be as good as anyone in the county. Add in Oley Valley and Central Catholic, both playing great ball, and the picture gets muddled quickly.

"I don't really ever remember seven teams that had the potential to win (the title) on Jan. 15," Bausher said. "Usually there's one or two teams that are ahead and then everybody else is hoping for a chance that on any given night they can pull an upset."

The only sure thing right now is that Boyertown is playing better than anyone. Last week's win over Gov. Mifflin gave the Bears wins over the current Berks I, II and III leaders.

Luckily for the rest of the conference the Bears will be chasing another PAC-10 title in a month.

Home, sweet home

Brandywine Heights (5-6) played the first 11 games of the season on the road because of strange scheduling and a couple of snow-outs. The Bullets finally play in Mertztown Tuesday against Wyomissing, and will play six of their next seven games at home.